Page 20 of Triplets for the Barbarians

“It doesn’t look like one, though. One more reason we couldn’t spot it,” I say, looking at Jewel as she, too, peers through the lenses and gasps. “They built a mirrored structure over an entire neighborhood. It reflected the surrounding buildings, so—”

“We couldn’t pick it up from above,” Jewel says, smiling. “We found it.”

We have a location of one of the last remaining starships.

“You’ll stay back here and send a message to the base camp in Sapphire City,” Yossul tells Jewel, though I already know where this conversation will end. It’s written all over her face as she quietly waits for him to finish his instructions. “The nearest telegraph post is about eighty miles south of here. You can take the buggy and come back before nightfall, but they need to know.”

“And once I’m back, I just need to sit on my ass under the shade and wait for you two to do all the recon work, right?” she replies, surprisingly calm.

I’ve already caught the sarcastic undertone, and Yossul is actively ignoring it. “We’ll do the recon,” he says. “It won’t take more than a day.”

“You’re delusional,” she cackles. “I’m not staying here. Forget it.”

“You’re human, Jewel. You can’t exactly blend in,” I say. “The minute you’re recognized, that’s it. We can’t protect you in Pearl City. I thought that was obvious.”

“I am not staying here!” she snaps. “First of all, you need my eyes in there because I’m the one who knows how many pounds of explosives we’ll need once I survey the hangar. I know where to best place each load and how to pull the wiring around without anybody noticing in record time so we can blow the fucker up. I need to be there!”

“You’re human!” Yossul replies, gradually losing his patience. “How the fuck are we supposed to get past that?”

“We need access inside their command center,” Jewel says. “Which brings me to my second point. I have to get in there, as well. The command center is linked to the hangar, no doubt about it. We have to disable any fire safety protocols they have set up for the starship. Otherwise, the explosive charges themselves won’t be enough. It’s how we succeeded before, and it’s how we’ll succeed this time, too. You need me in there, Yossul.”

I can’t help but groan with frustration. “You’re human,” I say it again. Maybe it’ll finally stick.

“And that has never stopped me before,” she shoots back with a cool grin. “Bring me in as a prisoner. Wear the Sky Tribe colors and bring me in as a prisoner. They’ll take us straight into the command center, which is where we need to be. You know they’ll keep me somewhere safe, and you’ll be able to spring me out in no time. We’re already accustomed to their protocols and their access systems. They’re the same all over.”

“It’s incredibly risky, Jewel,” Yossul exhales sharply. “Why do you insist on putting yourself in danger?”

“Because we only get one shot at destroying that starship. And I’m the top prize for these fuckers. They’ll be so excited to have me that they won’t think twice about your credentials. We’ll give them a good story about how you caught me while my crew and I were trying to blow up a Sky Tribe outpost not far from here. They’ll figure out we’ve got a lead on the starship, which is a risk we should be willing to take. Once we’re done with the recon, you’ll help me escape, and then you’ll stick around and prepare for the Yellow Gang to come in with the explosives, the wiring, and my specific instructions. You’ll be on the inside, having earned the Sky Tribe’s trust. They won’t think twice about you.”

“But they will tighten security around the hangar,” I say.

“True. Yet another risk, but a calculated one. They won’t be able to move it out of there in time. They fear us, and we need to take advantage of that fear. With you two infiltrated among their ranks, all that extra security won’t count for much. We’ll get the job done!”

“It’s insane,” Yossul replies.

“It’s the best way forward. Besides, they’ll want to keep me for their dear leaders,” Jewel says. “It’ll be a while before word reaches Shaytan and his fellow generals that I was captured. A day, at least, for him to get to Pearl City so he can gloat in my face. You both know he’s looking forward to that. And a day is all we need before the next stage of the operation.”

We can’t use drones to better analyze the hangar itself. The Sky Tribe’s own drones will shoot them down. We can’t let Jewel sit on the sidelines, either. It irks me to admit it, but it’s the truth. She is way too determined and stubborn for her own good. And she’s got a point, too.

As soon as the Pearl City guards see her, they’ll be too happy to notice anything else. There’s been a bounty for her live capture for almost five years, and there’s a lot of gold and prestige involved. And the Sky Tribe’s higher-ups wouldn’t even fathom that Jewel would be crazy enough to simply walk into Pearl City on her own to blow up that starship.

Yes, it’s insane.

But it might work.

All Yossul and I have to do is make sure we spring her without blowing our cover. It’s dangerous territory, yet the payoff is enormous. And time hasn’t been on our side lately. Insanity could very well be the key to our victory in this war.

8

Jewel

There is no “playing it safe” in times of war.

Amber, Cynthia, and Alicia have families to raise and protect. They must be kept safe because they chose their bonds with their soulmates over anything else. Besides, their contributions have been substantial already, but I’m the soldier. I’m the fighter of the bunch, and my feelings belong on the back burner.

I’m the one who can see this through to the end for everyone’s sake.

Sure, I’m uneasy about what’s going to happen. I’m scared out of my mind. But no victory ever came out of a comfort zone, out of safety and mediocrity, out of sanity and half-measures. This is an all-or-nothing kind of situation, and my expertise makes me essential to both stages of our mission. Yossul and Fadai knew this going in.

---